Robert Burns announced as Norwegian’s first Scottish tail fin hero

Scottish Poet to grace airline’s aircraft as the world celebrates Burns Night

Norwegian is proud to announce that Scottish poet Robert Burns will become its first Scottish ‘tail fin hero’. The renowned poet’s portrait will grace the tail fin of a Norwegian Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which will take to the skies later this Spring.

The announcement comes on Burns Night, an annual event to celebrate the life and work of Robert Burns on the anniversary of his birthday – 25th January. The first Burns supper was held in July 1801 when Burns’ close friends got together to mark the fifth anniversary of his death. The night included performances of Burn’s work and was such a resounding success they decided to hold it again, beginning the tradition of Burns Night!

Since Norwegian’s first aircraft took to the skies, the airline has always honoured iconic figures on the tails of its aircraft, using personalities who symbolise the spirit of Norwegian by pushing boundaries, challenging the norm and inspiring others.

To reflect Norwegian’s rapid growth in the UK, where it now flies 5 million UK passengers each year to more than 50 destinations, the airline is planning a series of UK tail fin heroes. Robert Burns will become Norwegian’s sixth UK tail fin hero and first Scottish hero, following the announcement of rock legend Freddie Mercury, footballer Bobby Moore, children’s authorRoald Dahl, pioneering pilot Amy Johnson, author Jane Austen and aviation maverick Sir Freddie Laker.

Robert Burns, born in 1759, went on to become a globally renowned poet. His best-known work is ‘Auld Lang Syne’ which is now sung at New Year’s Eve celebrations across Scotland and other parts of the world. Other famous poems include To a Louse, To a Mouse and The Cotter’s Saturday Night.

Norwegian’s Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Ramdahl said: “Our ‘tail fin heroes’ offer us a perfect chance to pay tribute to some of the greatest Scots of all time. Robert Burns has inspired generations and as the world celebrates the anniversary of his birth, it is an honour to have one of the greatest poets of all time adorn our aircraft.”

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said:“Norwegian’s tail fin heroes are all about celebrating individuals who have inspired others and that is certainly true of Robert Burns, whose words have touched the hearts and minds of people the world over. As a cultural icon, Burns is a symbol of Scotland’s creativity, passion and pride. As we prepare to celebrate Burns Night we hope passengers of Norwegian are inspired to learn more about the birthplace of one of the world’s greatest literary legends.”

Norwegian, Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier, first began operations at Edinburgh Airport in 2009 and has since flown more than 1.5 million passengers to Europe and transatlantic. Norwegian operates transatlantic flights from Scotland direct to smaller airports on the US east coast – Stewart International Airport and Providence International Airport, offering easy access to New York City and Boston.

Norwegian carries 5.8 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports to 50 destinations worldwide

Norwegian is the third largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6 million yearly passengers, and with more than 1,000 UK-based pilots and cabin crew

In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s first low-cost, long haul flights to the U.S. - the airline now flies to 11 U.S destinations, Buenos Aires and Singapore

In 2017, Norwegian also launched affordable transatlantic flights from Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the US East Coast, using the brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Norwegian is the only airline to offer free inflight WiFi on UK flights to more than 30 European destinations

The airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world with an average age of 3.6 years, including next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 737-800s

Norwegian has been voted ‘Europe’s best low-cost carrier’ by passengers for five consecutive years at SkyTrax World Airline Awards from 2013-2017, along with being awarded the ‘World's best low-cost long-haul airline’ in 2015, 2016 and 2017

Norwegian Reward is the airline's free to join award-winning loyalty programme offering members CashPoints and Rewards that reduce the cost of Norwegian flights